Very Cool!!!

How sad is this?

From my favorite movies..

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I've noticed a few negative reviews criticising the historical aspects, the omission of this or that history, the use of actors and so on. Even if some of those criticisms are valid, this series does what no other historical presentation has ever done.... and that is combine action packed theatrics with a glossy historical journey. I'm from Australia, so am not as well versed in American history as Americans would be. I found this series fascinating, and richly detailed. The pace it moves is quite funny for a documentary. It is always on the go, music, drama, effects, re-enactments, factoids, scenic landscapes, and more. I completely understand that this series doesn't cover all the history some people wanted it to. I know that American history runs deep, and this presentation is more of a surface rendering. I completely forgive it for this, because the result is still fascinating and there's much to discover.

I've watched this series once and currently watching it again, but just curious why some wars and some things were left out that were part of our history.

I've only watched the first three episodes of this series, and I'm having trouble understanding all the negative reviews. I'm not a history major, but did take several history courses in college, and am an avid fan of American history. I must say, that most of what I've seen accompanies what I've learned - and then some. Even my husband, who admittedly finds history rather boring, thought the series was done well. I do agree that the celebrities where a bit out of place, but that probably made it more appealing to younger viewers.One reviewer claimed the series was for the "Sesame Street generation", well that might make sense, being that my husband and I both loved Sesame Street growing up. Not to mention the educational show has won 118 Emmy's in its 43 years being on air, so I don't consider that to be an insult, but rather a compliment to the series and its fans!Any American, or persons coming to America, could benefit from watching this series. The struggles the first English settlers went through makes me much more appreciative of the freedoms we have today.

My 14-year-old son, wife, and I watched the entire series. My son, after a less-than-interesting year of American history in school, was not only interested, but excited about watching every new episode. There were a great many details about American history which are often glazed over in textbooks. I would not call this series an overview of American history, nor do I think it really attempts to become that...rather, it does a fine job of pinpointing some rather important, lesser-known events that greatly affected the direction of our country.The computer animations, at times, were poor...though I've seen blockbuster movies pushing the limits and doing little better. The side conversations and interviews with modern celebrities were interesting...at times very relevant...they were always brief, however, so even when some seemed a bit pointless, they were not really all that intrusive.If you have the chance to view this series in its entirety, and you are not an American history expert, I am certain you will learn a great deal in every episode. This series cannot be expected to be a standalone summary of American history, but it really is a great supplement to what you might already know and does a good job of actually avoiding hitting those topics which are usually taught in excruciation detail in a class setting (eg. Civil War battles).Update 1 year later: My son is completely interested in history class, and the topic of history, in general. He is not considering any career in the field, but thoroughly enjoys discussing detailed points of the topic with peers and adults. I fully attribute the spark of his interest in this topic to this mini-series.